Offsetting mechanism for sawmill-carriages.



PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

E. E. THOMAS. CF1-"SETTING MEGHANISM FOR SAWMILL GARRIAGES.

APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 9, 1903.

NO MODEL.

im; Nonms versus co. rnoaummwksummon, n c

No. 759,645. PATENTED MAY l0, 1904. E. E. THOMAS.

OFPSETTING MECHANISM FOR SAWMILL CARRIAGBS.

h APPLICATION FILED DEU. 9, 1903,

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/6 j w/ @i y umg; i Z0 fifi j /7 i al i.. y Kwan-Ill 4.4. 'tl'..iulu- @Ii glmili@flamguuw m |:':,@;gefffmlwEL@ ,L .l'l A .AA t M :n n-hull:` /J a J7 /5 /4 /4 /4 4,4 f k /NvE/vr'a/' 4 :0N/n hva/MJ F/6. or@ 7 (rp l MM /f/J rra/mfc .s

UNITED STATES Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN E. THOMAS, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO PUGET SOUND DRY DOCK t MACHINE COMPANY, OF TACOMA, IVASI-IING- TON, A CORPORATION OF VASHINGTON.

OFFSETTING MECHANISM FOR SAWMlLL-CARRIAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,645, dated May 10, 1904:i

Application filed December 9, 1903. Serial No. 184,368. (No modcly To all whom it muy concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. THOMAS, of Tacoma, county of Pierce, State of Washington,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Offsetting Mechanism for Sawmill-Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

In modern sawmills it is customary to provide a carriage having a slight movement on its supporting-axles laterally with respect to the line of travel of the carriage or substantially at right angles to thesaw. The purpose of this movement is to permit the carriage, after a cut has been made through the log, to be moved a short distance away from the saw, so that when the carriage is gigged back in order to bring the log into position for another cut the log will be clear of the saw and will not come in contact therewith during the gigging movement.

The object of my present invention is to provide a simple and durable automatic device by means of which the log-carriage will be automatically odset or moved away from the saw at the beginning of the gigging or return movement of the carriage and be automatically moved toward the saw at the beginning of the forward movement.

A further object is to provide an oisetting device that requires no line adjustment to render it thoroughly operative.

A further object is to provide an offsetting mechanism that will render the carriage practically unyielding to any blow or pressure resulting from contact of the logs with the knees or through the use of the steam logturner, thereby preventing undue wear of the carriage and the offsetting mechanism.

A further object is to provide an offsetting mechanism located above the carriage-frame, where it can be conveniently reached for the purpose of adjustment or repair.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of a log-carriage with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line a? a' of Fig. 4. Fig. L is a plan View of one end of the carriage, showing the position 'of the offsetting' mechanism mounted thereon.

In the drawings, 2 represents a sawmill-carriage of ordinary construction, provided at each end with axles 3, whereon the plain and grooved surfaced wheels et and 5 are mounted, the former arranged to travel upon a flat-surfaced rail 6 and the latter upon the usual guide-rail 7.

As shown in Fig. 3, the carriage is capable of a slight lateral movement on its axles. About midway of the carriage on one side I provide a cast-metal frame 8, having a slice 9, preferably of wood, on its lower edge adapted to rest upon the guide-rail and slide thereover. The upper-edge of the frame 8 extends up between the carriage and aguiding-strap 10, that is secured at its ends to stops 11, mounted on the carriage-frame. These stops are adapted to engage the ends of the metal frame 8 and move the same alongI over the guide-rail when the carriage is operated.

Upon the axles 3 at the ends of the carriage I provide boxes 12, that are loosely mounted between collars 1.3, secured to said axles and provided, preferably, with set-screws 14 as an additional securing means. Upon theboxes 12 I arrange brackets 15, whereon horizontal levers 16 are pivoted at points intermediate to their ends. These levers extend transversely of the `carriage and overhang' it on one side and are provided on that side with rods 17, that are pivotally connected to the metallic frame 8 at points preferably between its upper and lower edges. Guide-links 18 connect the levers 16 with the end timbers of the carriage. Upon the opposite side of the carriage from the rods 17 I provide brackets. v19, wherein bolts 20 are adjustably secured by means of nuts 21 and 22, which are for the purpose of taking up the lost motion caused by the wear between the ends of the axleboxes and the hubs of the Wheels while in contact. Washers 23 are provided on the bolts 20, between which and the brackets 19 rubber cushions 2li are placed to take up the shock or blow resulting from a log coming in contact with the carriage-knees or through IOO the operation of the log-turner. The ends of the bolts 21 are connected by toggle-links Q5 with the inner ends of the levers 16, and when these toggle-links are in line with said levers, as shown in the drawings, it will evidently be impossible for-the carriage to become accidentally oifset through any shock or blow resulting from the movement of a log. When, however, the levers 16 are swung to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, the toggle-joints will be broken and movement of the carriage will cause its frame to slide laterally on its axles and be offset toward one side or the other, according to the direction in which the carriage is being moved. A

The operation of my improved osetting mechanism is as follows: The mechanism having been applied to a sawmill-carriage, the friction-shoe will be held upon the guide-rail by the weight of the metallic frame above, andwhen the carriage is set in motion to make a cut in the log one of the stops 11 will come in contact with the contiguous end of the frame 8, and the friction between the shoe 9 and the rail will be suficient to break the toggle-joints and cause the carriage-frame to be moved laterally on its axles toward the line of the saw. rlhe carriage will be held in this position during the operation of sawing, and when the saw has passed out of the log and the carriage is ready to be gigged back the shoe will remain stationary during the initial backward movement of the carriage; but as soon as the other stop comes in contact with thev contiguous end of the shoe the togglejoints will be straightened and the carriage forced away from the saw to the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, and the log' will not contact with the saw during the giggingmovement. The toggle-joints will remain straight or unbroken during the time that the log is being turned or loaded on the carriage, and it is evident that with the levers 16 in line with the toggles it will be impossible for any shock, blow, or pressure resulting from the weight or movement of a log on the carriage to accidentally operate the mechanism and offset the carriage. f The friction-shoe and its frame have no delicate parts to get out of order, and no line adjustment is required to set up the mechanism and adapt it to a sawmillcarriage.l

The connection between the toggle-joints and the brackets on one side of the carriage allows suiicientadjustment to ltake up the,

wear of the toggles and the lost motion between the ends of the axle-boxes and the wheel-hubs, and practically all the operating mechanism being located above the level of' the carriage-frame convenient access may be had thereto for the purpose of adjustment or repairs.

I am aware that in prior United States Letters Patent granted to me frictional devices have been shown riding upon a guiderail for oii'setting a sawmillcarriage, and hence in this application I do not make claim, broadly, to such a contrivance, my invention in this case residing particularly in a toggle mechanism interposed between the frictional shoe and the carriage-frame, Asaid mechanism being positive infits action and arranged to prohibit the accidental offsetting of the carriage.

I claim as my invention- 1. rlhe combination, with a sawmill-carriage capable of lateral movement on its supporting-axles, of a friction-shoe arranged to ride upon one of the track-rails, levers pivoted at a point intermediate to their ends upon the carriage-axles, rods connecting one end of said levers with said shoe, and toggle-links connecting the other end of said levers and said carriage-frame.

2. Thecombination,withasawmill-carriage capable of lateral movement upon its supporting-axles, of a friction-shoe arranged to ride upon one of the track-rails, levers pivoted intermediate to their ends upon the carriageaXles, means connecting one end of said levers with said shoe, and toggle-links connecting the other ends of said levers and said carriage-frame and arranged to be in line with said levers and lock said frame when it is olfset toward the saw.

3. The combination,with a sawmill-carriage capable of lateral movement upon its su pporting-axles, of a friction-shoe arranged to ride upon one of the track-rails, levers pivotally supported at a point near one end upon the carriage-axles, rods connecting the longarms of said levers with said shoe, brackets mounted upon the carriage-frame, togglelinks connecting the short arms ot' said levers with said brackets'and arranged to be in line with said levers and lock'said frame when it is offset toward the saw. Y

4. The combination, with a sawmill-carriage capable of lateral movement upon its supporting-axles, of a friction-shoe arranged to ride upon one of the track-rails and comprising a metal frame anda wooden pad secured to the lower edge thereof, a guide-bar for the upper edge of said frame, levers pivotally supported at a point intermediate to their ends upon the carriage-axles, guide-links connecting said levers with the ends ofthe carriage-frame, rods pivotally connecting one end of said levers with said metal frame and toggle-links connecting the other end of said levers and said carriage-frame.

5. The combination, with a sawmill-carriage capable of lateral movement upon its supporting-axles, of a sliding shoe adapted to rest upon one of the track-rails, levers pivotally supported upon the carriage-axles and transversely arranged with respect to the frame thereof, means pivotally connecting one end of said levers and the ends of said shoe, brackets mounted on said carriage frame, cushion- IOO IIO

ISO

blocks provided thereon and toggle-links interposed between said blocks and the contiguous ends of said levers, for the purpose specified.

6. rI`he combination, with a sawmill-carriage capable of lateral movement upon its support ing-axles, of a shoe slidably arranged upon one of the track-rails, a leverpivoted near one end upon the carriage-axle and arranged transversely with respect to said frame, a rod pivotally connecting the long arm of said lever and said shoe, and atoggle-link interposed between the short arm of said lever and said frame, and said link and lever being substantially in line to lock said carriage-frame when it is oifset toward the saw.

7. The combination, with a sawmill-carriage Capable of lateral movement upon its supporting-axles, of a friction-shoe adapted to ride upon one of the track-rails, levers pivotally supported upon the carriage-axles and transversely arranged with respect to the frame thereof, means pivotally connecting one end of said levers with said shoe, toggle-links oonneeted to the other end of said levers, and enshion-bloels interposed between said togglelinls and oarriageframe, for the purpose specified.

8. The Combination, with a sawmill-carriage Capable of lateral movement upon its supporting-axles, of a friction shoe arranged to ride upon one of the track-rails, a lever pivoted at a point intermediate to its ends on the carriage-A axles, means eonneeting one end oi' said level' with said shoe, a toggle-link connecting the other end of said lever and. said carriageframe and arranged to be straightened to loel said frame when it is offset toward the saw.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of November, A. I). 1903.

EDWIN E. THOMAS.

In presence oim HERBERT S. Grimes, M. HAGERTY. 

